Abstract:
The provision of library services through rigid compartmentalisation of academic, public, school,
and special libraries operating in one country can be cost-effective if a country has strong socioeconomic, cultural, educational, and political structures. This arrangement is apparently a
fallacy for countries that lack such structures, as is the case with Lesotho. This study examined
the outcomes and the impact of the UNESCO-funded project titled Distance and Rural LearnerTeacher Support through a Mobile Digital Library (DRULETSMODIL) in Lesotho. The National
University of Lesotho (NUL) Library proposed DRULETSMODIL whose objective was to reach out
to NUL’s de jure distant teachers and learners. Additionally, the project expanded its scope to
include library services to rural and poor communities. This paper outlines how use of the
descriptive method, called the corporate social responsibility (CSR) principle, utilised the case
study approach to interrogate DRULETSMODIL’s performance. The findings reveal that the project
embodied various levels of diversity, inclusivity, and (mainly) social responsibility aspects of
providing information for free, to the marginalized communities. From DRULETSMODIL’s three
phases covering all the ten districts of Lesotho, positive outcomes were recorded. Through
Information, Communication, and Technology apparatuses, DRULETSMODIL’s offerings, and the
support of Participatory Initiative for Social Accountability (PISA), diverse information was easily
and cost-effectively accessible. The project attracted various partners; beneficiaries included
academic library users, secondary schools, and male and female youth and adults in the villages.
The study recommends advocacy on CSR for all types of businesses and consideration of this
model for developing countries.
